-
3 weeks ago | 
bethshelburne.substack.com | Richard Fox |Beth Shelburne
WRITTEN BY: Richard FoxThis story was published in partnership with Prison Journalism Project, a national nonprofit organization which trains incarcerated writers in journalism and publishes their work. Sign up for PJP’s newsletter, follow them on Instagram and Bluesky, or connect with them on LinkedIn.For many Alabamians, the “golden years” means playing with grandkids, porch sitting and traveling.
-
Nov 20, 2024 | 
bethshelburne.substack.com | Beth Shelburne
A breathless announcement floated out of Montgomery, Alabama last week regarding the coming-soon mega-prison in Elmore County. You know the one, the state’s monument to mass incarceration with a billion dollar price tag, $1.25 billion specifically. The massive prison construction project that failed to pass the legislature more than once, but was eventually rammed through by Ivey, using $400 million in COVID relief funds.
-
Oct 13, 2024 | 
timesfreepress.com | Beth Shelburne
The Alabama Department of Corrections has settled a wrongful death lawsuit against corrections officers who beat a man to death at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in 2019, though the department continues to deny that the officers used excessive force. A settlement payment of $250,000 was issued Aug. 16 in the case of Sondra Ray v. Roderick Gadson, et al., according to data from the Alabama Department of Finance.
-
Oct 10, 2024 | 
al.com | Beth Shelburne
The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) has settled a wrongful death lawsuit against corrections officers who beat a man to death at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in 2019, though the department continues to deny that the officers used excessive force. A settlement payment of $250,000 was issued on Aug. 16 in the case of Sondra Ray v. Roderick Gadson, et al., according to data from Alabama’s Department of Finance.
-
May 30, 2024 | 
bethshelburne.substack.com | Beth Shelburne
This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts
-
Mar 16, 2024 | 
open.substack.com | Beth Shelburne
Reporting and writing at the intersection of mass incarceration and life in Alabama. By Beth Shelburne · Over 2,000 subscribers“Beth Shelburne does an outstanding job exposing the problems in our penal system, especially with regards to the death penalty.”“Thank you Moth to Flame... for writing about the hard stuff, like prison reform. Be sure to read "How prison reporting changed my heart."”“This journalist writes about our nation’s mass incarceration crisis, specifically in Alabama.”
-
Mar 10, 2024 | 
portside.org | Beth Shelburne
The Long Struggle To Read in Alabama’s Prisons Published March 10, 2024 Cayce Moore was just 19 years old when he found himself in solitary confinement, alone in a dark and filthy cell in Alabama's infamous Kilby prison. His four months in solitary, or "segregation" as it's called by the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC), marked the beginning of his life sentence, now in its 35th year.
-
Mar 7, 2024 | 
bethshelburne.substack.com | Beth Shelburne
Let me tell you about the dessert I had last night. This chocolate torte was a masterpiece, both a sight to behold and a divine tasting experience, literally one of the richest most delicious things I’ve ever eaten. It’s served at Birmingham’s exquisite Automatic Seafood and Oysters, an award-winning restaurant recognized for fresh caught and expertly prepared seafood, but good Lord, this dessert is the best I’ve had in town. I don’t say that lightly.
-
Feb 15, 2024 | 
bethshelburne.substack.com | Beth Shelburne
Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. I recently had a startling conversation with an incarcerated man named Marvin. You can listen to an excerpt by hitting play on the link above. Marvin told me about something I thought I knew about, but to hear him describe his direct experience on an Alabama prison chain gang shocked me awake. This ugly chapter in our recent history suddenly became less abstract, Marvin’s words painting my plain understanding into vivid color.
-
Feb 9, 2024 | 
bethshelburne.substack.com | Beth Shelburne
Alabama has released few specifics on the billion dollar mound of dirt in Elmore County. But we do know they’re hoping to one day cut the ribbon there on a shiny new mega-prison, so our state can continue to incarcerate citizens at one of the highest rates in the world. Anyone who has studied the crisis in Alabama prisons knows that building new prisons will not fix the rampant deaths, contraband drugs or staff ineptitude.
